Sorrow Departure
by degrassian4ever
Summary: Eli was the new kid and he began to date Clare. What will happen one dark night after a study session? (I suck at summaries)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So this is a story I wrote a while ago I just never really published it. It's pretty short. Only 21 pages on Microsoft Word. It's completely done so i hope you enjoy it. (:**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I say i don't own Degrassi and you ignore this and just continue reading.**

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_**Chapter One**_

"Nope. I can't do it" Clare is sitting in English class with Adam.

"Come on Clare. You got this." Adam whispers to her.

"No Adam I'm not going over there!" He is trying to make Clare talk to a new student in their class, who's sitting about three seats in front of her. His name is Eli Goldsworthy. He is very mysterious. Adam knows that she find Eli kind of attractive.

"Clare nothing is going to happen between you two if you don't go talk to him." Adam is very persistent.

"Well, what if I don't want anything to happen between us?" she says, wishing he would just let it go. But of course Adam gives her an expression as if telling her that he knows that's not true.

"Ok maybe I do want something to happen but I'm still not going to talk to him." Clare said turning back in her seat and crossing her arms.

"Excuse me, Miss Edwards and Mister Torres would you like to share something with the class?" Clare takes a quick glimpse of Eli and notices that he's looking right at her so she quickly turns away blushing.

"No Miss Dawes."Adam says while Clare just shakes her head in embarrassment. She looks over at Eli and he gives her a little smirk and then he turns back around.

After that humiliation, Clare starts paying attention to the lecture. It has something to do with symbolism. Ok so maybe she's not really paying that much attention but at least she's trying to. It's kind of hard to concentrate when her mind was on the new kid by the name of Eli.

She is so hungry and can't wait for lunch. When the bell finally rings, Clare scurries to the exit. On her way out, she accidentally bumps into the new student, Eli. He shoots her a smirk as he walks away the opposite direction.

"Hey Clare you won't believe what just happened to me. I went into the…" Alli, Clare's best friend besides Adam, looks at her and notices her obvious blush and then turns in the direction she's facing.

"Ahh. A new crush?" Alli knew Clare like the back of her own hand. They've been friends forever. "Yeah. I mean no! What are you talking about?" Alli just sighs and leaves her alone for now.

_Lunchtime…_

Eli was in the lunch line when he saw the girl in his English class standing not so far away.

"Hey! Um girl." He didn't know her name. Eli then remembered something Miss Dawes said.

"Edwards!" he called out. That caught her attention.

"Yeah?" She responded confused. She also looked a little flushed.

"I'm sorry. I'm new here and I want to make some friends. The name's Eli Goldsworthy."

"I know." How does she possibly his name? Today's his first day! Eli gave her a baffled expression

"I mean no! I don't know. I mean I heard Miss Dawes call you. Uh…I'll stop talking now." She laughed nervously. He still doesn't know her first name.

"I'm Clare Edwards." She said quickly, stretching out her hand. He shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Clare Edwards." Eli smirks. Clare blushes at this gesture.

"So I guess I'll see you around?"

"Sure will." He says walking away, leaving her with a grin on her face.

_Clare. That name fits her perfectly._ He thought to himself. Her eyes gleam in the light. Eli feels nervous every time he thinks about her. Hopefully he will get to know her better.

After lunch, Eli went to his French class. There was an empty seat behind a guy with a beanie so he sat there. The boy turned around in his seat and he gave Eli a huge grin. Now that he had a better look at him, Eli noticed that this kid sort of had a hint of female features on his face. He thought that was kind of weird, but who is he to judge.

"Hi there! I'm Adam Torres. You're Eli Goldsworthy the new kid right?" _He knows my name too?!_ Eli thought.

"Why does everyone seem to know my name? It's barely half of my first day here and two people already know my name." Eli said with a chuckle.

"Well you are the only goth kid at Degrassi AND you drive a hearse so you're bound to get noticed." _Oh great._ Eli thought._I'm the talk of the school now._

"Plus you're in my English class." Adam said with a laugh.

"I know we just met and stuff but how would you like to go on a date with my friend?" Adam asked hopefully. Eli thought for a bit. _A date huh?_

"Your friend's a chick, right?" You never know with these people.

Adam laughed "Of course, Eli" he answered.

"Alright, then. I'm in." Eli said.

"Meet me at The Dot at 8:00," Adam said with a smile before turning back in his seat just in time for class to begin.

Clare sat in her room staring at two dresses, struggling to decide which one to wear tonight. She couldn't decide between the cute, white, sleeveless dress; splattered with black polka dots or her charming, long-sleeved, green dress. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" she responds. The door opens and soon enough, Helen Edwards is in the room.

"Hey honey. Ooh nice dresses. You going somewhere?" Helen's always on Clare's case but she decides to tell her about her plans for tonight.

"Yeah I have a date." Before she asks with whom, Clare right away asks her mom's opinion on her attire.

"Well the white with polka dots says 'I'm sophisticated' but the green dress says 'I'm young and I like to have fun!'" She said, impersonating a teenager.

Clare giggled. "Mom, just tell me which one to wear."

"The green one. You'll have enough time to be sophisticated when you're older." Clare smiles and embraces her mother.

"Thanks mom. I love you."

Clare arrives at The Dot about ten minutes early; anxious to meet her date. _I wonder who it is. I hope he likes me. I hope I like him. What if he's not good looking? What am I saying? I am grateful for just getting a date. Who am I kidding? I hope he's cute_. Her thoughts are interrupted as she sees Adam approach the Dot. Someone else is with him. As they walk in the door, Clare recognizes the guy beside Adam and her eyes widen in shock.

_Earlier…_

Adam stopped by Eli's house to pick him up and handed him flowers.

"For me?!" Eli said in a high pitched voice as Adam hands him the bouquet of daisies.

"Knock it off Goldsworthy! It's for your date. She's one of my best friends and I know that daisies are her favorite flowers." Adam replies.

"Wait, how do you know where I live?" Eli asked confused.

"I have my connections." Adam said and they left it at that. Soon, they started off to the Dot in Eli's hearse.

Eli began to have some doubts about the girl he was going on the date with. _What if she's not what I'm expecting? What if things don't end well and she goes to Degrassi? It'll be really awkward seeing her every day._ His uncertainties are put to rest when he comes face to face with someone he's encountered in the past.

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**Alright so this was chapter one of Sorrow Departure. The next chapter will be up soon. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and give me back some feedback. BTW you should check out my other fanfiction Forbidden Love. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi duh!**

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_**Chapter Two**_

By the expression on Eli's and Clare's faces, Adam can assume that he did well on setting these two up.

"Alright, you two have fun," he says and turns for the door.

Then, he turns back around. "But not too much fun." Adam smiles at them. _They are going to make such a cute couple._

Eli then hands Clare the bouquet of daisies and Clare's face flushes as she takes the flowers in her own hands.

_Eli Goldsworthy. I am on a date with Eli Goldsworthy. I can't believe it. I wish Adam told me earlier so I could have dolled up a bit more. _Clare thought excitedly.

"So Eli, what are the plans for tonight?" Clare asks him as she looks into his dreamy eyes.

"Actually, I didn't have anything planned." Eli blushed._ What's wrong with me? I never blush! _He thought.

"When Adam set us up, I thought that he would make plans for us as well. I guess not then." His lopsided smirk made Clare want to melt.

"So where shall we go?" Clare asked_. I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with you._ Eli shook his head quickly dismissing his thoughts.

"Well I just so happen to have two tickets to an Arcade Fire concert if you're interested," he said, showing her that he did, in fact, have the tickets.

"Yeah sounds like fun!" Clare responded. Eli's hair cascaded perfectly over his olive green eyes. His voice is soothing. And soon, she began to drift off imagining what their children would look like.

"Clare? Clare. Clare!" Eli yelled, bringing Clare back from her fantasies.

"Oh. Sorry!" She apologized. Much to her dismay, she had turned as red as a tomato. "I had very little sleep last night. What did you say?" She lied. Clare didn't want to tell him she was day dreaming about him. _He'd think I'm weird and never talk to me again_.

"I said we should go. We don't wanna be late." With that said, they left to what became one of the most memorable nights of their lives.

_Three hours later…_

The concert was over so Clare and Eli decided to go for a walk.

"That was fun. Wasn't it?" Eli asked her, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah it was," she responded. They kept walking in silence. Eli looked up and saw how the stars were like diamonds in the night sky.

"So Eli, tell me about yourself," Clare said, breaking the silence.

"Uh…well I like to write and direct. I'm hoping to go to NYU one day." Eli answered.

"That's great! I like to write, too. My dream is to be a journalist at The Interpreter." _Wow so Clare and I share a love of writing._ Eli was impressed by this.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" _Oh no. Why did she have to ask that question? And on our first date._

"Only one." Eli answered nervously.

"Really? What happened?" Clare asked curiously. _Oh great. Now I'm gonna have to explain and then she'll think I'm a monster. She'll leave and never talk to me again. _When Eli didn't answer right away, Clare stopped and stood in front of him, making eye contact with him.

"You can trust me Eli." Clare said; a comforting smile forming on her lips. Then, she realized something. "Unless you don't want to tell me, then I understand." She began to turn to start walking again but she was stopped.

Eli sighed and grabbed her arm. He pulled Clare towards a bench and they sat.

"Her name was Julia." Eli began. "One day, we were in my car um…kissing and then her phone vibrated, indicating that she got a text. So she pulled away. While she looked at the text, she smiled so I grew curious. I asked her who it was from and she grew defensive. I became even more suspicions so I accused her of cheating on me and we started to argue. Soon, she got fed up and stormed out of the car. She took off on her bike and she…" It was hard for Eli not to burst into tears right at that moment. "…and she got hit by a car." Clare gasped.

"Julia was killed instantly." Then, Eli looked down to his shaking hands on his lap and said softly: "I never did find out if she was cheating on me or not but I don't care, I lost her and it's all my fault." A tear slipped down Eli's cheek. Clare choked back a few tears as well. She knew what it was like to lose someone close to you.

"It wasn't your fault, Eli." He heard Clare say. He turned to her and she offered Eli a faint smile as she wiped away his tear with her thumb. "You didn't know that she was going to get hit." He just keep staring at her, trying to believe what came out of her mouth but deep down, he knew that it, indeed, was his fault.

Clare leaned in and embraced the poor green eyed grieving soul in front of her. When they pulled away, Eli leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips before he backed away. Clare put her arms around Eli's neck and played with his hair as they stared into each other's eyes. Eli's breath is taken away at how Clare's are as deep as the ocean. She leans in and kisses him with passion and Eli kisses her back with just as much fervor.

_The next day…_

"Bye Mom!" Adam yells after getting out of his mother's car. As soon as he walks up the stairs of Degrassi, he goes in search of Eli.

Eli sees Adam walk over to his locker so he smiles.

"Hey. So how'd it go?" Adam asked.

"How'd _what_ go?" Eli messed with his friend.

"Your date with Clare!" Adam shouted impatiently.

"Adam, yell louder I don't think the states heard you." Eli joked around. Adam playfully punched his shoulder.

"It went very well. After the concert, we went for a stroll in the park, I told her about Julia and then we kissed." Eli said.

"Julia? Who's Julia?" Adam asked. _Oh right, Adam doesn't know about Julia either._ Eli forgot that Adam, as well as Clare, barely became his friend yesterday so he didn't know a whole lot about him. So Eli explained to Adam who Julia was. Eli gave him the short version though because Adam only had a few minutes to get to his first period.

"Hey Clare so how was last night?" Adam asked Clare as he walked towards her locker after first period.

"It was amazing," Clare said. "Guess what happened?" She asked anxiously.

"You guys kissed." Adam said in an annoyed tone.

"Did you already talk to Eli?" Clare asked suspiciously. He simply grinned and nodded.

"I'm glad you set us up, Adam. We had a blast AND we have another date tonight. Did Eli tell you _that_?" Clare said as she put the books she didn't need into her locker and she reached for her History book.

"No. But have fun." He said as he walked away when the warning bell for second period rang.

The last bell rang, indicating that school had finally ended. As Clare walked out of her geometry class, she saw Eli leaning on the wall outside of her classroom. She smiled at the thought of him waiting for her.

"Hey" he said nonchalantly.

"Hi" Clare responded with a smile.

"Are you ready to go?" Eli asked.

"Yep," she replied. They walked out of Degrassi and Eli led Clare to his car.

"A hearse?" Clare asked a bit unsure. Eli just laughed at her facial expression.

"Don't worry, Clare. It's just a car. There are no dead people in there." Clare still seemed hesitant.

"Wouldn't a hearse be haunted, though? Cuz of all the dead people that have been in there." Clare said softly as she started to twiddle her fingers in nervousness. Eli kind of found it adorable how she was so scared of his hearse.

"Clare" he dragged her name out, trying to calm her down "There are no ghosts. I'll protect you if Casper appears, ok?" Clare smiled when Eli said that he would protect her. Then she blushed right after. Eli opened the passenger door for her to get in and then he ran over to the other side to get in the driver's seat.

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**Hope you guys liked it. Please review. (:**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I wish i owned Degrassi :/**

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_**Chapter Three**_

After their date at the Dot, Clare invited Eli to her house to study for their English test tomorrow. The ride to Clare's house was pretty silent. Only small talk was exchanged. She opened the front door of her house.

"Mom? Mom I'm home! Hmm I guess she's not here." Clare walked over to the kitchen and on the table there was a note that read:

**Clare, I went out. Don't wait up for me.**

**Love you, **

**Mom.**

_Great. She's gone yet another day. She'll probably come home at three in the morning all drunk. Or she might not even come home tonight. _Clare thought to herself. She sighed and Eli saw the look on her face. She seemed distraught.

"Clare? Are you alright?" Eli asked concerned. He seemed to have taken her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh…yeah. I'm fine. Well my mom's gone. Come on let's go study in my room" Clare said to Eli.

After about an hour of testing each other on literary terms and other things they think might be on the test, Eli looks at Clare curiously. He needs to know.

"So…." He begins and Clare turns to him. "Are you sure you're ok? Because you seem distant. What's on your mind blue eyes?" Clare blushed at the nickname Eli gave her. But she remained silent.

"Come on, Clare you can trust me. The same way you said I can trust you." Eli said with a sincere smile. Clare took in a deep breath.

"Well, when I was little, I had a perfect family. I had two loving parents who were always there for me when I needed them. And I had an older sister who was my best friend. We would do each other's hair and share secrets. It seemed straight out of a fairytale book." Clare said and she smiled at the memory of the Edwards family she loved with all her heart. "But when I turned fourteen, my eighteen year old sister, Darcy, got raped and then she was killed." Clare was sobbing. Eli reached for her trembling hands as she continued. "A few months after her death, my parents started arguing…a lot. I slowly began to get used to it. But they always ignored me. My mom would lock herself in her room all day and my dad came home late from work. When he came home, the yelling began. They never asked how school was or gave me a kiss on the forehead anymore right before I went to bed. They seemed to forget that they even have another daughter. I would cry myself to sleep every night. About a year after all the yelling and suffering, my mother found out that my dad was cheating on her with his secretary so they finally decided to get a divorce." At this point, Clare's tears had dried out and she just stared at nothing in particular and explained in a monotone voice.

"Most people would think that I would be devastated that my parents were separating but I was actually relieved. I was relieved that I wouldn't have to be forced to listen to the arguing and the yelling. But then I figured out that the silence was way worse. My dad moved out and he sends us money because he feels bad for me. So my mom quit her job and became a full time alcoholic. She's never home. And when she is home she's either passed out on the couch or asleep in her room. I was very lonely." Clare was still staring into space trying her best to remain emotionless.

"Wait what do you eat?" Eli asked; concern dripping from his voice. Clare then looked into Eli's eyes and she exhaled unsteadily.

"I didn't eat anything for like a month or two because we didn't have any food. My mom spends all the money we receive on alcohol. And frankly, I wasn't hungry. I had to deal with my sister's death, my parents' divorce, and being neglected. But then, one day at school, a kid at Degrassi noticed that something was wrong with me so he took me to his house and every Monday I go to his house for dinner and his mom, Audra, became like my second mother. I always feel welcomed there. I love him like a brother." Eli began to frown. He wouldn't admit it but he felt kind of jealous of this fellow helping Clare.

"So since that day, Adam and I have been best friends." After she said Adam's name, Eli became relieved.

"Clare…" he didn't even know how to respond. "I'm sorry about everything that happened to you. But I'm also kind of glad that someone knows exactly how it feels to lose someone you love." She just smiled and nodded. They looked deep into each other's eyes and slowly, they leaned in and their lips met in the middle.

"Clare?" Eli said as he pulled away.

"Mmmm?" Clare answered, still in full bliss mode from the kiss they shared only moments ago.

"Will you… will you be my g-girlfriend?" He asked hesitantly.

Clare laughed softly. "Only if you agree to be my boyfriend." She said in a whispered in a hoarse voice. Eli shivered and nodded before leaning in to kiss her yet again.

_I'm someone's girlfriend. It feels so weird to say that, but I like it. Mr. and Mrs. Eli Goldsworthy_. Clare giggled at the thought of that.

"This isn't much of a study session is it?" Clare commented on how they couldn't concentrate on their studies.

"I think we'll do fine on the test." he answered. Eli gave Clare a smirk and she returned it.

Eli wakes up in the morning with a smile on his face. He decides to call Clare to ask if she needs a ride to school. He hears three rings before an angelic voice is heard.

"Hello?"

"Hey, girlfriend, I like the sound of that, do you need a ride to school?" Eli asks, hoping she accepts his offer so they can spend some time together. Clare giggles on the other line.

"Why thank you boyfriend. I'd appreciate it." He can't help but smile at the remark.

"Ok I'll pick you up in ten." He says before hanging up. _Today's gonna be a good day._

Clare gets ready after she hangs up the phone. She sighs out loud. _Eli is my boyfriend. Eli is my boyfriend._ She sings in her head. She wants to make sure she looks extra nice today. As Clare does the finishing touches on her make-up, there is a knock on the front door. Her mother never did make it home last night so Clare runs downstairs and opens the door.

"Hey" She says as she tries to catch her breath.

"Whoa, did you run a marathon?" Eli jokingly responded. Clare just sticks out her tongue at him.

"Haha you're hilarious." she said sarcastically. "Let's go"

Eli walks Clare to her first class of the day.

"See you later, beautiful," Eli said. Clare's face went from pink to red. She giggled.

"Ok bye" she answered giving Eli a hug and walking into her class with a huge grin on her face. Eli doesn't have a first period so he has a whole period to walk around and think about Clare.

_Later at Eli's house…_

Eli is tutoring Clare on Geometry because her grade is beginning to slip.

"So you see, you have to equal this to 180 degrees. Do you get it now?" Eli explains.

"I think I do. Thank you, Mr. Goldsworthy. You're the bestest teacher ever." Clare says in a little girl voice.

"Ok next week; grammar." Both teens share a laugh. As their laughter dies down, they both lean in for a sweet yet romantic kiss.

"I have to go know," Clare whispers softly against his lips as she pulls away.

"Great way to kill the mood, Edwards." He replies crestfallen.

"Sorry, but my mom wants me home by nine. The one time she's sober, it just had to be today. " Clare says disappointedly.

"Need a ride?" Eli asks being such a gentleman and helping her up from the couch they were sitting on moments ago.

"No thanks. My house is just a few blocks away. I think I can handle it."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." Clare responds and Eli walks her to the door and bids her goodnight.

"Goodnight my love." She replies. "And thank you,"

"For what?" He asks, confusion in his emerald eyes.

"For everything. Letting me come over, helping me with geometry, offering to take me home, and not abandoning me like everyone else pretty much did. "

"I would never abandon you." Eli answered with a smirk.

"I should leave. I don't wanna go through my mom's wrath tonight." Clare says. Eli gives her a peck on the lips and she starts walking down the sidewalk.

As Clare dreams of her Eli, she hears the sound of a loud engine behind her. _Must be a car passing by_. She thinks to herself. Clare notices that it's a van that's spray painted black to match the color of darkness. She finds it peculiar that it parks only a few feet in front of her. Two men dressed in black exit the mysterious vehicle. Clare's heart speeds up and her hands get sweaty. She picks up the pace, but it's not enough…

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**I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and favorite(:**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four! Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Degrassi. Darn it!**

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_**Chapter Four**_

_Next morning…_

Eli wakes up on a Saturday morning and hears the birds chirping. The sun is shining through the window and Eli picks up his phone to call his lovely girlfriend.

There are many rings before her voicemail picks up. _Hi this is Clare. I can't answer the phone at the moment but leave a message and I'll call you back, _is what the message says. Eli finds it kind of odd that she didn't answer her phone, but he leaves a message anyway.

"Hey Clare it's me, Eli. Uh call me back as soon as possible. Ok, bye." _She must be busy._ He thinks to himself.

An hour has passed still no call from Clare. Two hours pass. And then three. Four hours have gone by and there hasn't been a call, text, or email from Clare. Eli starts to worry. _What if something happened to her?_ He paced the floor of his bedroom. His phone is on his desk and every thirty seconds, he looks over at it, just in case Clare texted or called and he missed it. Suddenly, he flinches at the sound of a chime. Eli quickly runs to his desk and grabs his cellular device and picks it up without even checking who it may be.

"Hello?" He says rather exasperated.

"Eli?"

"Oh it's you" Eli says kind of irritated when he hears Adam's voice instead of Clare's.

"Usually I would say some witty remark but this is serious. I came to Clare's house to hang out. You know, cuz I was bored. And when I get here, her mom is passed out on the floor so I went in search of Clare and I call out her name and she's not in any room of the house. So when I go back downstairs, her mom is standing at the bottom of the staircase and she asked me who I was and I told her I was Clare's friend and I asked her if she knew where she was. And Clare's mom said that she never came home from her boyfriend's house. So anyway, long story short, is Clare with you?" Adam asked and he sounded like he was on the brink of tears.

That's when it all hit him. Clare wasn't answering her phone, she wasn't at home or at any friend's house and she walked home last night all by herself. _Oh no._ Eli thinks in disbelief. "Oh shit. Shit shit shit! Come over as fast as you can. I need to talk to you in person." Eli answers then hangs up right away, not letting Adam respond.

_Meanwhile…_

_ I'm in a vehicle. I feel the vibration below me. I can't see a thing. Am I asleep? No, I would be unconscious._ There's a blindfold over Clare's eyes. Becoming very frustrated by the blindness, she tries to move around and get the rag off her face, but there's a rough rope tightly wrapped around her wrists, making her hands numb. She makes an effort to untie the rope but it's no use. If she moves her wrists, even slightly, the cord cuts into her skin, making her bleed.

"Get me out of here!" Clare demands, waiting for a response.

"Shut it, Lizzy! You are going to pay for what you did!" _Lizzy?_ Before Clare can argue about kidnapping the wrong girl, the van takes a sharp turn and then comes to a sudden halt.

"Where are we? Let me go! HELP!" Clare yelled at the top of her lungs, praying that someone will hear her and will come to the rescue.

"No use sweetheart. We're in the woods." The mysterious man said with a chuckle. The poor red head was pushed to the ground. She felt the dirt against her hands, soaked in blood.

_Meanwhile…_

Eli was in the living room, pacing. His parents were sitting on the couch, concern and worry overcoming them. They only met Clare Edwards once but they thought she was the sweetest girl ever. According to Eli's parents, she was an angel sent from heaven because she made their only son smile once again.

When the doorbell rang, Eli opened it without a second thought. Adam was standing outside and he looked as if he was crying because his eyes were puffy and his face was as pale as a ghost's. Eli let his friend in and they both joined the adults in the living room couch.

"I can't help but imagine the worst." Adam said softly, breaking the silence.

"Well we can't just wait here for the police to find her! We need to do something!" Eli yelled out of frustration.

Before Adam arrived, Cece, Eli's mother, called the police department and declared that Clare was missing.

"Eli, honey, calm down. There's nothing we can do. The police-"

"I don't give a damn about the police!" Eli interrupted his mother. "I'm not going to stay here and risk something worse happen to Clare." Eli said and his voice cracked. The poor boy was on the verge of tears. He hastily exited his house. Adam and Mr. and Mrs. Goldsworthy followed close behind. They all entered Morty and Eli soon turned on the car and they took off.

"Soooo what's the plan?" asked Adam.

"Look around town. She's gotta be around here somewhere." Eli mumbled the last part, mostly to himself.

Clare is trembling. It's as if the whole universe is against her.

An older sounding man laughs. "This bitch finally gets what she deserves," _I'm so stupid for not taking Eli up on that offer to take me home._ The pit in Clare's stomach deepened. Just when she was thinking of a way to escape, she felt a burn across her face and then she realized that she has been slapped. It felt as if her face was covered in red fire ants that crawled all over the place pinching at her skin.

"Stop!" Clare yelled "My name's not Lizzy!"

Clare began to cry hysterically. She doesn't know what to do_. I might never see my parents, Adam, or Alli again. Or Eli_. As soon as the thought of never seeing Eli's face came into Clare's head, she started crying even harder and she got angrier by the minute. She sensed a hand on her face, but it was gentle as it removed the blindfold that shielded her eyes from the rest of the world. Clare can finally see the man, who has caused her this pain, for the first time. He has short blonde hair, facial hair that seems as if he hasn't shaved in days, eyes gray like the sea after a violent storm, and an expression of hurt and anger.

"So you aren't Lizzy. Oops," He said as his face turned red. "Well we still can't let you go." He rapidly adds right after. He can't let her go because she's seen his face and he doesn't want to risk getting arrested. Clare looks around and she notices two other men standing not so far behind. She recognizes them as the ones that took part in her kidnapping. They seem like they are in their forties. They are wearing a black t-shirt, black jeans, and a black leather jacket. _If I'm not going to be let go of, then what are they going to do with me? _Clare needed to find a way to contact Eli and let him know of her location.

"Eli we can't just drive around. If she got kidnapped, she's probably in a hidden place not out in the open." Said Bullfrog, Eli's father, after roaming the town for thirty minutes. Eli became frustrated and pulled over. He parked in front of a coffee shop. He crossed his arms and laid his head in between them, hiding his face from the rest of the passengers. He began to cry. _What if it's too late? What if she's already… _Eli shook his head trying to push away those horrible thoughts. He lifted his head and took out his phone and began to dial.

"Hey Sav. It's Eli." Eli became friends with Sav Bhandari, the school body president.

"Can I please talk to Alli? Thanks man." Everyone else stared at Eli in confusion. Why did he have to talk to Alli?

"Hey Alli. It's Eli. Do you by any chance know about Clare's whereabouts?"

"No. Is she missing? Oh no. My poor little Clare all alone. She's probably getting raped as we speak. Oh my god." Alli seemed to be having a panic attack.

"Alli calm down I'm in my car with my parents and Adam. We're about to head to the Edwards' house. Wanna come?" Eli smiled at the thought of all the people who care about Clare and will do whatever necessary to find her even if her parents don't.

"I'll text you my address." She simply answered and then she hung up. As soon as Eli got the text he was well on his way to the Bhandari house.

After picking up Alli, they went to Clare's house. They knock frantically on the front door and a middle aged woman opens the door, she must be Clare's mother. She looks confused when she sees all of them.

"What do you want?" She spits out annoyed at our presence.

"Hi Mrs. Edwards? I'm E-"

"I stopped being an Edwards a_ long_ time ago." She said, venom dripping from her angry voice. _Well __**she's **__rude. Well two can play at this game. _Eli thought.

"I'm _sorry_." He said in a sardonic tone. "I'm Eli, Clare's boyfriend. And if you weren't too drunk to notice, your daughter is missing." Eli said with the same tone she used on him. The woman at the door narrowed her eyes at him and dropped her jaw. Cece pushed her son to the side.

She laughed nervously. "What my son meant to say is that we noticed that poor Clare is missing. We are glad to help you find your precious daughter." Cece usually was the one to smooth things over. "May we come in?" She asked nicely. After a few more seconds of eyeballing everyone carefully, Clare's mother let them in. She picked up the house phone and dialed a number. After a few seconds, someone on the other line picked up.

"Randall, come over quick. It's about Clare." She said before hanging up. Randall is Clare's father. After a few minutes of silence, Helen, Clare's mother, spoke up.

"So what happened to her?" Helen's voice cracked and she seemed as if she was going to cry. _Hm maybe she does care about her daughter._ Thought Eli. Before anyone could respond, the doorbell rang. A tall man with light brown hair came in after Alli opened the door. He seemed tired judging by the bags under his eyes. He looks a lot like Clare.

"What happened to Clare? Is she alright? Where is she?" Randall asked impatiently as he looked around the living room. Everyone just gave him a sympathetic look. Randall's expression went from gloomy to fuming in just a matter of seconds.

"THIS IS ALL _YOUR_ FAULT! YOU ARE DRUNK ALL THE TIME! YOU NEVER PAID ATTENTION TO HER AND HER NEEDS!" He yelled at Helen. Everyone else in the room felt uncomfortable.

"WELL AT LEAST I DIDN'T RUN AWAY FROM MY PROBLEMS!" Helen screeched louder.

"NO BUT YOU DRANK THEM! NO WONDER CLARE RAN AWAY!" Randall roared. It's as if this divorced couple was having a screaming contest. "You are a terrible mother." He said softly but with the same amount of intensity. Helen simply covered her mouth with her hand to stop a sob from escaping. She seemed to want to burst into tears.

"Ok fighting won't get sweet Clare back. We need to think of a plan." Cece interceded once again. She noticed that her son was looking down at his hands and shaking his leg violently. She also saw a tear escape from his eye. Cece, of course, knew that something was up. She knew that Eli was devastated about Clare but he rarely cries.

"Eli, honey, what's wrong?" She asked concerned about her son. Eli looked up at everyone in the room as they stared at him with worry. _Clare is missing and they're worried about me?_ Eli scoffed inwardly.

"This is all my fault." He said softly.

"Aw no it's not honey." Cece comforted as she embraced Eli. He simply pushed her away and stood up.

Eli let out a frustrated laugh. "Yes it is!" His eyes began to well up. "She was at my house. We were studying. I let her walk home alone! At night!" He yelled louder and louder each time. "I was stupid enough to let her go. I know she has been having trouble at home but Clare wouldn't run away. Clare didn't run away Mr. and Mrs. Edwards," Eli said looking at them straight in the eye. He knew what he said but Helen decided to let it slide this time. "she was kidnapped."

"Ok so what are we gonna do now?" Alli said, holding herself together. Crying would not get her best friend back. Everyone sat in silence as they thought. Then, a small voice broke the stillness.

"Hey Eli do you still have that phone tracker app?" Asked Adam shyly.

"Yeah but it barely works." Eli replied.

"Well it's worth a shot." Alli added. Eli took out his Android and began to nervously type in Clare's phone number into the phone tracker app.

_I'm not sure what I'm scared of. Maybe I'm scared of where Clare might be, or if she is not in possession of her cell, or that the app might not even find her._ Eli thought. As he typed in the last digit, he hoped and prayed that Clare is safe and sound and that in a day or two she will be in his arms once again. Eli clicked the button that says search and almost instantly, a notification filled the screen that read: **_I'm sorry. The phone number you have entered could not be found. Double check to make sure that the numbers are in the correct order._**Eli's stomach drops as he reads these words. He feels tears come to his eyes but he quickly blinks them away. _This could not be happening_. By the look on Eli's face, everyone else just felt hopeless. Suddenly, Eli was startled by the vibrating phone in his hands._Who could be texting me?_ He thinks to himself. The moment he reads the name on the screen, he gasps in utter shock.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed it. I really like this chapter. I think the next chapter will be the last. Please review and favorite. Love you guys!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Last chapter guys! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Lots of people don't own Degrassi, including me.**

Clare is terrified. _How do I contact Eli?_ Clare's driving herself nuts. Clare can't even imagine how her friends and Eli feel right now. They don't know where she is or if she's ok or not. _I have to reassure them._ Then she got an idea.

"Can I use the bathroom?" Clare asked, hoping she'll be in private for a few minutes.

"Uh if you haven't noticed sweetheart, we're in the middle of the woods. There are no bathrooms here," The man responded

"Well it's an emergency."

"Fine. Go behind that tree over there." He said with a tone of annoyance. He unties her wrists and she walks to the tree at a fast pace. As soon as she's positive that she is out of their sight, Clare hurriedly pulls out her phone and sends a text to Eli.

It reads**_: Eli help! I've been kidnapped. I'm in the woods. Hurry! There's not much time…_** She puts her phone away and comes out from behind the tree.

_Meanwhile…_

The text is from Clare. Eli's palms are sweaty and his heart is racing so fast that it might just pop out of his chest.

"I just received a text from Clare," He said in a calm yet anxious voice. Clare's dad, whom was apprehensively pacing the floor, snapped his head in his direction and ran over to where he was and sat next to him. Everyone was leaning over to read what the text said. If it was any other occasion, Eli would have gotten out of that position but Clare's life was on the line. So for now, he would have to deal with the lack of personal space. After all of them had examined the message carefully, Mr. Edwards suddenly stood from the couch and took hold of his car keys that moments ago laid on the coffee table.

"Well, what are we sitting around here for?! We're wasting time!" He yelled. They all stood up and headed to the door. "I'll meet you guys there." Eli said. They separated. The Edwards and the Goldsworthys went in Randall's car while Eli, Adam, and Alli got into Eli's hearse. He had one specific item in mind.

Eli ran into his room and dropped his body on the floor. He searched under his bed for it. When he feels the cold metal against his skin, he pulls it out and admires it. His riffle. Eli used to use it when he went hunting with Bullfrog and Adam. But now, it will fulfill a greater purpose. As he stood up, he took notice of the photograph that sits on his nightstand. It's a picture of Clare on their first date. The date that Adam set up for them. Eli smiled at the memory, wishing he could go back to that moment where his only worry was if Clare would be his girlfriend. He didn't have to worry about Clare's well being. Eli took the picture in his hands.

"Clare, I promise that I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered at the portrait of the beautiful blue-eyed, auburn-colored-haired girl. She seemed so happy and care-free. A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye without his consent. Eli then remembered that time is running out and that instead of feeling guilt and pain; he should be on my way to rescue his damsel in distress.

_Why isn't Eli here yet?_ _I mean I know he's trying his best to come to my rescue but I'm running out of ideas on how to stall these men._ Clare thought impatiently. They keep mentioning something about moving to an abandoned shack in Michigan. She needs to keep stalling them!_ I'm not planning on visiting the States anytime soon._

"Um guys! I heard something. I think it's coming from that direction." Clare says as she nods to the left side of the woods.

"Maybe it's a bear!" She yells, hoping that they don't notice that she's faking the whole thing so they are distracted for a few minutes. She silently scolds herself for not thinking of something that's actually believable.

"Okay we'll check it out. John, stay with the chick."

"I have a name you know!" She accidentally blurted out. _What did I do?_ She mentally scolded herself. Her stomach dropped after those words slipped out of her mouth. Clare's hands are currently shaking. _What if I made him mad? Will he kill me? Yell at me?_

"Fine! What's your name then?" He responded to her shock. The man asked a simple question. But Clare can't tell him her real name. He's a criminal who shouldn't know her name.

"Uhh…Julia." That was the first name that popped into her head. _I wish I didn't just yell out Eli's dead ex-girlfriend's name._ Clare's thoughts and worries were interrupted by the sound of a loud bang.

Clare is so terrified that she doesn't even turn around to see what could have been the cause of the loud clamor. She dropped to the ground and shielded her head. _Great. Just what I needed. Someone else who wants to kill me_. After what felt like an eternity, Clare realizes that she's not injured so she looks up. She glances over to where the men that had kidnapped her were situated and observed that the man who is the leader is motionless on the ground. The others must have run away because they are nowhere to be found.

Finally, she spins around to make out what was the source of the gunshot. There is a tall dark-haired male with bright green eyes staring Clare down with an expression of sorrow and anger. A rifle is held in his death grip. He droped his weapon and ran towards the poor scared auburn-haired girl and she received his comfort with open arms and a warm heart.

"Oh Eli! I thought I'd never see you again!" Clare choked out through her sobs and cries.

"I would _never_ let _anything_ bad happen to you." Eli's voice sounded weak so he cleared his throat to choke back some tears that were accumulating around his eyes. Clare turned her attention back at the unconscious man curiously.

"Did you shoot him? Is he dead?" She asked, unable to process what was currently happening.

"Yeah." Eli said as he faced the ground in shame. _I wish he thought this through instead of killing the man and risking his own life. What if he gets caught and is sent to jail for murder?_ Clare chased her thoughts away immediately and hears her name being called behind her.

"Clare!" Her parents ran towards her. Adam, Alli, and Eli's parents were close behind. Clare embraced her parents for a few minutes before hugging everyone else. Clare couldn't believe that her parents were getting along. But nonetheless she couldn't be any happier now that she was surrounded by the people she cares about and loves. She tells her parents and friends to wait for her in the car. Clare wanted to speak to Eli alone.

"My parents said that they were all very worried about me, especially a certain green eyed boy." Clare said suggestively as she poked Eli's chest with her index finger. Eli just smirked in response. "Cece and Bullfrog said that you guys looked around all over town for me. Thank you" Clare said to Eli with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Well like I said before. I will always be here for you so nothing happens to you. I love you blue eyes," Clare noticed the gleam in Eli's eyes and her face turned red. This is actually the first time he's said that to her.

"I love you, too my night and shining armor." Now it was Eli's turn to blush.

"Shall we go, my princess?" They hooked elbows. "We shall, my prince charming."

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**Yay! That's the end! I liked it. How about you? Please review and favorite (: Love y'all! **


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